A gramophone record is a black, disc-shaped film, originally used as a sound storage and recording medium. Its unique appearance and audio quality are reasons for why it remains popular among certain collectors, and has a steady demand in the market.
The gramophone record is mainly made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a polymer material, which undergoes pressing to forma continuous groove with a spiral shape on a surface of the gramophone record. A gramophone stylus moves along and reads the spiral groove to generate a signal, after which a coil within a gramophone pickup transmits the signal to produce sound.
In general, it is not easy to maintain and preserve the gramophone records. The gramophone record must be stored in dry, ventilated areas to prevent mold growth, and frequently cleaned to reduce the collection of dust or contaminants in the spiral groove.
Another problem associated with the conventional gramophone record is that a trace of static electricity may be generated when the stylus rubs against the gramophone record during playback, causing undesired playback noise. Upon buildup of a large amount of electric charge, a loud “pop” sound may occur, and severely affect playback quality. For these reasons, a common solution is to use an anti-static brush to eliminate the static electricity on the gramophone record.
However, because the gramophone record is made of PVC, use of the anti-static brush to remove dust or contaminants from the spiral groove or static electricity on the gramophone record may result in wear and tear or scratches on the gramophone record. Over time, this practice may result in impaired playback quality or even deformation of the record gramophone.
Furthermore, due to poor heat dissipation associated with the PVC, the heat energy generated from rubbing of the stylus against the gramophone record cannot be quickly dispelled, and continuous record playback would be difficult. Consequently, the heat energy would result in wear and tear or deformation of the spiral groove, leading to a shortened lifespan of the gramophone record.